NEWCASTLE mega KISS fan, Wayne Willoughby, was shattered by the rock band's Supercars cancellation, but remains confident they will bid Australia farewell.
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Promoters One World Entertainment and TEG Live broke the news on Thursday that KISS had cancelled their entire Australian farewell tour due to 67-year-old co-frontman Paul Stanley suffering from influenza and a throat infection.
In a statement the band said they were "absolutely gutted" and "sincerely apologise" to fans.
KISS were scheduled to headline the Newcastle 500 Supercars on Saturday, November 23, at No.1 Sportsground with The Screaming Jets.
A Supercars spokesman confirmed the entire concert had been cancelled and refunds would be provided.
"Unfortunately on such short notice we've been unable to actually secure another band so in this situation unfortunately the whole concert will be cancelled," the spokesman said.
Willoughby, who plays Stanley in the tribute band KISStory, had purchased meet and greet tickets for the Supercars concert and was going to their Sydney gig on November 26.
Willoughby said he was disappointed, but not angry about the cancellation.
"Anyone that's pissed off has got to take a step back, the guy's crook and is almost 68 years old and you've got to look after your health first and foremost," the long-term KISS Army member said.
Willoughby's mother died in July and some of the money from the sale of her house was used to buy the KISS meet and greet, which helped him "get a bit of joy out of this massive tragedy."
"I'm 100 per cent confident it will get rescheduled and they will get to Australia on this tour, it's just a shame it didn't happen this time around," he said.
Refunds are valid for anyone who purchase Supercars tickets with a concert upgrade. They include the $65 gold tickets and the $115 One Last KISS tickets. All refunds will be delivered to the credit card they were purchased on by December 6.
Patrons who purchased tickets in an agency or at the box office using cash or EFTPOS will be contacted via phone prior to December 6 to arrange a full refund.